I think that nexussini has given the right answers. I think it's really strange in the Netherlands when you say u to your parents. We say je the most of the times. I can't discribe a situation when I ecspect that he/she saying u to me.
I'm a 15 years old girl from the south of the Netherlands, from the village Etten-Leur (between Roosendaal and Breda).
P.S. I hope my english is correct because I'm not very well in grammar! :$ ;P
u is like, to someone you have respect for like your parents, officers, teachers. but je is actually for like a regular person like a friend. its polite to say u instead of je
1: if stranger is older then me i say 'u' if not i say je. 2: teacher allways 'u'. 3: parents 'je'. 4: if the waiter is older again 'u' else 'je'. 5: at the office mostly 'je'. 6 youtube 'je' unless the poster is the president or something. The basic rule that applies is: you say 'u' in dutch to people older then you or if the people are in such a position you aught to respect them( like a judge or teacher). If the person in question is of the same age or younger and not in a formal position
I always try to avoid saying dankje or danku by just saying bedankt:) I start calling people u when they are about 40 and older. I am 18 and live in a small city.
Addition to the Fifth one: I worked as tech support so my clients were the people working at the office :P only called the highest boss U purely out of respect for his position
Sixth: Youtube is informal so Je
I would not be offended if they would call me Je, I kinda feel odd when they call me U (and when little kids call me Sir)
Im 20 male and live in a small town, but been in cities alot aswell
first one: Dank U if its someone older than me, Dankje if its someone my age (or close to my age)
Second one: Other comment (teachers call students Je)
Third one: I adress my parents with Je, but am not allowed to use their names, like: Pa, Ma, Papa, Mama (when i was little it was Papa en Mama, now its Pa and Mam)
Four: Waiter refers to me as U, i refer to the waiter as Je if he or she is around my age
Fifth: Only worked at an office that was non formal so Je (except for the highest boss)
I am 20 and my parents taught me to say U to people who are older than i am (like alot older, not people who are 21) and at for example job interviews in school they make you say U to teachers between the age of 12 and 16, between 16 and the end of school you call teachers by their first name an say je, but that depends on if they allow it, i also usually forget if people told me i could say je instead of U and then say U anyway xP (most people say: you should say je, U makes me sound so old)
All people with a higher (age, work, social distance) status are "u".
Lower/equal status is "je". A distant familymember that I would dislike would become "u" to show distance and maybe discontent (Very insulting, kicking someone out of the personal crew like that). When I don't know if someone is a "U" or a "je", I say neither Dankje or Danku, I would say Bedankt. There is a way to build a sentence like that.Or I just ask what someone preferres.
I wouldnt call a distant family member U if i disliked them, i say U to either people i dont know or people i respect (of course thats just for older people im not gonna say U to someone my own age)
@RockDeviI But you must agree with me that changing je into u is considered an offence. Unless: I could say je to my grandpa until I was older and understood that u was considered respect for his old age. A slightly older cousin that i started to dislike alot, a time ago, became u, not to show respect, but to kick him out, make verbal distance. Have you never heard of this? Im almost 25 now, and I notice that people my own age (when making aquintance) say u to me.
Not exactly (i did the same thing with my grandparents btw they became u when i got older) i call people i disrespect je, to show i dont think of them as higher then myself, for example someone of middle age being rude to me will be je and not u to show i dont respect him enough as an older person to call him u
Parents: always je. Hardly anyone has to say u to family members.
Waiter: we address each other with u.
Coworkers (that you know well): je. Boss or clients/customers: u.
On Youtube: I don't think anyone would ever say u.
So basically, you say u to people who are older than you, to strangers and to people who are above you (like your boss, teacher, client). You say je to people you know (family, friends, people at school or coworkers) and to young people (until ± 20 yo.)
What matters most are your own age, the other person's age and the relationship between the two. I'm a 16 year old guy, I live in a small town (but with a high population density) in the province of Limburg and this is what I do:
At the store (or anywhere else) when someone holds the door open for me: people of around my age (up to 20, I guess) or younger: je, if they're older: u.
Teacher: always u. Only in primary school you're allowed to say je. Teacher says je to me, because I'm younger (..)
In University, we students are "u", as well as, of course, the teacher (strange person mostly counts here, i don't think it's because it's formal. And "u" to the teacher in high school, who calls the students "je".
Best way to analyze: when you call someone by their FIRST NAME (thumbs up on this cuz this seems to be THE rule), you say: "je" .
2. u, no exceptions, at least not in school environment
3. je
4. u
5. u in general, je for closer colleagues
6. je (u can be used in a comical way, or to persons you actually know)
It bothers me when people say 'je' against teachers, and 'u' should be used between shoppers and shop assistants. The proper use of 'u' and 'je' should be maintained, since it gives more freedom to express oneself. Also see VHSback's post about the use of U, Hij etc.
Hi, probably you already sorted out a lot of the U/je stuff because it's a long time ago you posted this video. But anyway: Je is used in most situations and with people your own age always. If you meet people who are older, like a friend's parents or your new boss, etc. there is a kind of cultural ritual in which you start by using U to this person and then the person will in almost all cases immediately respond by saying: zeg maar je hoor! (please use je!)
Well I'm from Rotterdam..where people in general speak their minds. but for the "opening the door" situation, i would say: Dankjewel..and smile of course :)
For the teacher-student situation we normally say 'u' to the teacher en the teacher says 'je'. unless the teacher indicates we can say 'je', wich nowadays happends a lot. And for the parent thing, back in the day it was 'u' because the relationship between parent and child was more serious and 'business' :P All my friends say 'je'
A fun fact, which you probably didnt notice. In the youtube description you refer "u" with an capital. We dutch people only use u with a capital in writings if we talk about God or someone like the queen.
Also belgians refer to u way more than the dutch.
And for more dutch language fun which a lot of foreigners cant speak is the "ui"-sound, like in Huis and muis.
I'm a 19 years old man(including brabants accent), live in Tilburg and study in Delft. I actually normally respond everyone with "je" :p
exception for the Dank-u-wel part. I learned to say dankuwel and never really changed it. For teachers or someone else higher than me I somehow only start to talk with "u" if I really dislike them. I also speak with the "u" at older people(70+).
As for waiters, I have never seen a waiter speaking with "je" towards me.
To answer the other questions: I'm 21 years old and I live in Hengelo. It's in the eastern province Overijssel. It's quite a large city, if you would compare it to other city's in the province. We also have our own dialect (is that the right word??), called Twents. If you ask people from a western city about us, they would probably call us farmers, which we're not. But it's because of the way we speak. You can compare it to a southern American accent I guess.
1. It depends on who holds the door. If it's an old person, I would say U. If it would be someone much younger than me or close to my age, I would say JE.
2. Teachers say JE. Students say U.
3. Both JE. And most people call them MAMA or PAPA, but I do know people who call their parents by their first name.
4. I always say U.
5. Colleagues JE. Boss and clients JE.
6. JE, but 99% of the time I would say you, because most people here speak English.
Extra: I would be offended when a police officer or bus driver would address me as JE. Oh I'm 22 years old and I live in Eindhoven, the fifth largest city in The Netherlands. It's in the southern province North-Brabant. It's called North-Brabant because South-Brabant is in North Belgium. In The Netherlands, North-Brabant is usually just referred as "Brabant"
Seeing as I had 500 characters in the last comment here comes the demographic information:
I'm 20 years old, go to College (HBO) in Rotterdam. I live on the island Goeree-Overflakkee in Zuid-Holland (it's just north of Zeeland). I live in a village with approximately 7000 inhabitants.
and being 23 years old i can't expect anyone to say U to me. and if they do say U, i suddenly feel old and boring. 23 years old. male. city: Breda province: Brabant.
Oh btw, the extra question: yes, if I'm in a store and I have a complaint and the person working there keeps referring to me as je, then I feel sort of offended. It doesn't show any sign of respect in that case. And your other question, I'm 22, female, live in nijmegen, which is a relatively big city, yet not comparable to let's say Amsterdam, but is the oldest city in Holland. Thanks again for the video!
5: work: to coworkers, you pretty much always say "je", bc its most of the time informal, to your boss, or to clients etc, you always say u, but this is not a strict rule. A lot of people feel old when people say u, so most people will ask you to just say je. And last but not least, on YouTube, you simply say je, bc its incredibly informal, still, if watching a video of an elderly person and you request contact for let's say business, then you say u. Hardly ever happens though...
4: restaurant, as a waiter or storeemployee you always say u, no matter what, if in a conversation and the person requests you to say je, then you say je. Talking to a waiter tho, is most of the time je, but also depends on the age of the waiter and how fancy the restaurant is. The fancier, the more likely it is that you say u instead.
1: that depends how old the person is, if its an older person than u say u, not old, he, 2 depends on what the teacher wants, mostly the rule is u, but the teacher wants je, 3 same as teacher, mostly je.
you ALWAYS say 'U' when you're speaking to an older person you've never met. If you have known this person for a while he/she 'll tell you 'zeg maar je hoor' which means: 'you can call me JE'.
When speaking to a person of the same age or a jonger person you're always allowed to say JE. --> this is for young people, an adult always starts with U (person you don't know
you ALWAYS adress teachers / your boss with U because this person has a higher status? (I don't know how to say this in English)
I am very grateful for your postings because I'm rehearsing for a play in which I play a character (VanHelsing) from Holland. I wonder if you can tell me how you would pronounce the name 'Seward' in english with a Dutch accent?
@aSageMoment I think the final 'd' would be devoiced (check out my video on devoicing final consonants) to more of a 't' sound. I'm guessing that the 'a' would also be more of an 'ah' sound than the typical British/American ('uh') that would normally go there.
If you put these together, the 'ard' at the end comes out sounding like 'art,' instead of 'urd' as it would be in English.
Maybe an actual Dutch speaker can tell you if this is correct . . .
@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
@beersvanbas You may be right that that's how a Dutch person would read the name, but keep in mind the context. The character in the play is probably imitating the way he has heard the name pronounced by English speakers, but with a Dutch accent. The English/American pronunciation of the first syllable is "soo," which is pretty close to a sound that exists in Dutch, so a Dutch-speaking character would probably pronounce the first syllable similarly to the English pronunciation "soo."
@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
...The waitor sometimes calles me u but sometimes je, since I'm still young. Children, teens and students usually call each other je. A client, unless younger than 15, is always called u. Colleagues start off with calling each other u sometimes, but usually, if you spend your days working together, you start calling each other je. Close family is usually je, distant usually u, unless they tell you to call them je. That goes for pretty much all adults. It's similar to the American usage of sir.
I'm sixteen, so most people, if not all, refer to me as je. My parents call me je, I call them je. I've heard that older people had to call their parents u, but it hardly ever occurs now. I don't know one person mmy age who says u to their parents, but I'm guessing that some still do (I suspect that it happens more often with somewhat religious families, but I could be wrong). When we go out to diner I usually call the waitor u, bot sometimes je if he/she is still pretty young...
You also asked about situations where people would get insulted if you use the wrong one.
Then I would say when I go out shopping. As a client I should always get referred to as U it's the polite thing to do. But sometimes I get referred to as JE (usually by young employees). I find that insulting. Clients should always get respect. (no matter if there annoying or not)
1) Dank U wel (unless the stranger is very young (teenager or younger))
2) U and refers to me as JE
3) JE, but to other people's parents I use U
4) U both
5) To my co workers JE but to clients and bosses U
6) In general JE but If I notice that the person is old (65+) I would use U
I'm 22 years old and live in Alkmaar it's a City with about 93.000 inhabitants don't know if you would call that big but I do. It's about 42 km north of Amsterdam. And I'm female.
As a teacher i like to hear U. Its mostly a sign that the child is good behaved or listened to you.
I live in the North of The Netherlands (TN) (Leeuwarden, Friesland). I noticed that the West of TN and the larger cities have less U then other parts. It may be that they interact with more people and tend to lose the U that way. It is the same as the way people great eachother on the streets. I was used to greet everyone i came across untill i moved to the City. (sorry for my english)
Like most people already said, U is for when you are speaking to people you tend to have respect for, teachers, your boss, grandparents, strict parents, customers (if you work in a shop of sorts). Im a learning to be a Teacher in secondary school and there is something that i noticed. If you start your first class with group they tend to speak to you with U, aspecially the younger childeren. But when you start to know these childeren the U starts to fade a little bit.
Just to elaborate on the "Gij" and "Ge" form, in Antwerp (Belgium) it's more dialected and can almost freely be interchanged with "Jij" or "je", but you still use "u" for the polite things. You can always say "Dank je" if you are talking to a friends. However, even in Antwerp, don't say "Dank gij/ge", it will sound ridiculous :P
(To make it even more difficult and to make an even bigger differentiation(?) between Hollands and Antwerps", you can change "jouw" (your) into "uw" if you used "Gij" )
Strange, older people : u, Stranger younger people: je, If you know the person better he or she shall tell you what to say: some schools: u some schools je, have to do with the cultural (christianity) issues. More common is je at this time. My parents I call je and u one and other times, is a question of feeling, u is never a fault. The person will tell you that you can say je.. je is minor u is major, that's all..
Hallo ! "U"is de beleefdheidsvorm, maar "je" wordt ook gebruikt met onbekenden... bv : op straat : Sorry, zou je me kunnen zeggen hoe laat het is?" (het gebruik van modale werkwoorden en de conditionele vorm maakt het eveneens "beleefd"...)
In Vlaanderen bestaat de "ge, gij" vorm nog, en die is te vergelijken met de "thou" in het Engels... ttz een oudere vorm, maar door dialect-gebruik in Vlaanderen is "ge, gij" nog steeds in gebruik... bv : Hebt ge uw boek meegebracht?
i was born in the netherlands so i was raised with the language ofcourse im not really dutch im albanian so and i learned fluent english so thats dutch, albanian, english those 3 i know very very well now im learning korean wich is one tough mtf
ja mensen nederland is oke maar vergeleken met andere landen zuigt het erg en nou zeggen ga weg dan ? ik zou niets liever willen maar zo makkelijk is het niet.,.. dus houd je bek dicht
You say U to people if you dont know them and if they are older than you. 1)Dank u 2)I say U to the teacher and the teacher je to me. 3)I say je to my parent but there are people who say U to there parents. 4)both U 5)You say je but youre boss and you clientes you say U 6)On youtube i would say je. i'm 16 years old so i dont mind if anyone says u or je i'm male i live in Nijmegen Gelderland
@ store: Dank u to an older person, dank je to equal age and younger. Also; people with a high job function you would address as u.
@ teacher: If the teacher let's you call them by their first name you say je, in all other cases u (pretty much if you address as mister ... then you say u). the teacher says je to all students, unless the teach the elderly.
@ parents mostly je. Maybe families that are very strict and have to be representative for the outside world it might be u. But mostly je.
A waiter: The waiter refers to you as u if they are doing their job right. In most cases it is considered polite if you say u back as well. But when the waiter is a lot younger it's OK to say je. In the more expensive restaurants everyone says u to each other. And in for instance a place like Subway/ any other simple food corner the customer will say je to the waiter. And they say je/u back, depending on if you are older/younger than them.
@ the office :colleagues je, boss mostly u , unless it is a more informal atmosphere (you always start of with u). At clients mostly u (in letters always), unless they tell 'je' is OK or when you feel the atmosphere is more informal, especially with younger clients.
@ youtube viewers je. Maybe if you really respect someone that also happens to be older you would say u.
@ offended. It is a choice of course to be offended. But if someone is trying to be dominant in a work situation by saying je it could be offending. For instance if you are a teacher and a parent is upset and says je to make you feel young and stupid that would be offending. Also I think it is rude when telemarketers say je.
Stranger: U, unless he/she adresses me with je, OR age below 24 (=my age +5)
Elementary school (=the American version?) is je both to the teaches and to me, high school depends on the teacher's preference but he/she says je, college is always u but the teachers say je and sometimes u
Parents: je, both ways
Waiter: u, both ways
Work: u to customers and je to staff
Youtube: je
Offended if adressed as je in formal situation (without asking)
Most adults under 55 don't want to be called 'u' anymore because they want to be informal and young.
1. If you are under 25 years of age. Address all adult 30+ with 'U' and everyone under 30 you may call 'je', unless it's a business relation which you do not know face to face.
2. If you yourself are 25+ (aka young adult to be taken somewhat serious by other older adults you call everyone 35 or younger 'je' and people 35+ you should call 'u' unless you get acquainted.
In Flemish Belgium, we also use 'ge' in stead of 'je/u in informal language, with another verb-pronounciation with it... It's pretty difficult to give an explenation of it thouroughly, because for us, it's so normal. It comes to personal habits, whether you use Ge/Je/U in these kinds of situations. I even always just used "ge" to my teachers in school, and also to my mother, family, friends and even to strangers (customers at the pub where I did my summerjob)...
Yes, we Belgians do use "u" a lot more but we also say "ge" instead of "je" (in some places afcourse not). But the fact of the matter is, when we are speaking in our dialects, "u" doesn't have that overpolite connotation it has in the standardlanguage. In some Flemish dialects "u" is pronounced as "aa" or "ij", and isn't concidered polite at all. But let's not make it too complicated by including dialects shall we? Use "u" to people you're supposed to be extra polite with.
I'd use 'Dank u' in the first situation, but if the other person is younger, you're allowed to say 'je', the trick is to use 'Bedankt' xD I'm a native speaker, and I mess u/je up half of the time, because it's about respect, and that's different for everyone, I usually mash them together in somthing like 'dankuhwel'
Your teacher is always u! They call you 'je'. In primary school it's sometimes 'je'
I always say 'je' to my mom. She used 'u' on her parents 50 years ago.
I am assuming you have by now heard a lot of good answers, so I would like to bring something else up. A "polite" form (for lack of a better word) exists in Dutch (U en je), German (du and sie) and French (tu and vouz), although their use differs per country. In general, we as the Dutch tend to use the "je" form more often than the other two. Also, each country has a special verb for the process of changing from polite to "simple" form (Dutzen in german, tutoyer in French and tutoyeren in Dutch)
@nsg666 What I just wanted to add, seeing that English takes so many from these three languages (or the other way around) I have always found it most remarkable that English does not have such a distinction. It may be a bit more practical, but I still think this distinction has certain "old world" charm/elegance. It is very reminiscent of shakespearian English.
the difference between U or je in Dutch seems to be the same as the difference between tu and Usted in Spanish. Tu is an informal, friendly way to say "you", Usted is a formal, respectful way to say "you".
1. Danku! Strangers, u as well. Unless you're talking to children.
2. Teachers: u!! (you will get VERY strange looks if you say je) Teachers on the other hand will always use je
3. Parents: in the old days, I've heard, some children had to say u (much like sir and ma'am). But that is really not done anymore. Parents call children je as well.
4. Waiter, if they're much younger, maybe je, but usually u. Waiter should definitely address you with u.
I only say 'u' if I want something from the person (who I've never seen before) I'm talking to... But that's me, everyone has their own view on the use of 'je' of 'u'.
3) Je - mother: "ma" or "mama" or father: "pa" or "papa"
4) U - U no it doesn't mather, the next time you just don't go there anymore xD
5) your boss: meneer. (then the last name) - your clients U - meneer - mevrouw
6) I don't know
"je" is for everyone you know well, for friends etc. for people you don't know and they look old it is "U" ... like to a old lady on the bus like something its U,
Just a piece of advise to be on the safe site, just always use 'u' first when you meet someone who is clearly older then you. Most people will say, just call me 'je'.
I live in a part of the Netherlands called Groningen. In the Groninger language we say joe, pronounced as you, to older people and people you treat with respect. I also call my parents joe or u, simply out of respect.
In Gronings Du, same as in German, is the word for jij.
It's really hard to think of a situation where I would be offended if somebody said 'je' to me. Usually in everyday situations, 'je' would be fine. The only thing I can think of is maybe when children that I don't know say 'je'. But even then there has to be some other impoliteness in what they're saying or doing for me to feel irritated (offended is the wrong word).
PS Maybe a good question would also be: What do say to your parents-in-law? I say 'je', but that felt very strange at first.
4) It really depends on the place and the age of the waiters. In a formal restaurant it's usually 'u' both ways. In a more trendy, young, informal place, with young waiters, it's usually 'je'.
5) 'je', even to the managing director.
6) The only situation I can imagine would be if a really old Dutch lady or man would make their own video where they tell a story or something and I would comment on that. But that's never happened.
About the bonus question. I,m Dutch myself and I can't imagine people getting offended by using "je" instead of "U" bit it's just being polite to mostly strangers. There are even people that don't like to be refered to as "U" cause it makes them feel old. Kind funny actually.
Very interesting video! It made me wonder about how I use U and JE and here are my answers.
I agree with that you say U to an older person (or somebody younger who you respect) and JE to a younger person, however: in my line of work (I am an officer of the law) U is the only way to adres people (no matter what their age is) and that should be vice versa.
I don't say U to my parents, but they did always expect me to call them papa & mama (mom&dad) when I was little, not to just call their names. mainly, you say U to your elders, and respectable people like a teacher (in university, you're more equal, so the line isn't as clear there), or a police officer. your clients are always U, as is your superior, unless your on a friendly basis with him/her. context is also important. 19 y/o male from Hilversum&Maastricht (large town&smallish city) student
People are rarely insulted by an inpolite use of either je or u but people tend to think that a wrongful use can be rather impolite, people do care when they're inpolitely treated by a salesman. That's the only situation I can think of which could actually insult anyone. I do want to empasize though that this a really uninportant part of the Dutch language. Even Dutchmen among themselves tend to disagree on what the rightful usage of these words is so I wouldn't worry about it if i were you.
A waiter is adressed with u and he adresses you with u as well, mostly out of respect. Friends are adressed with je and the internet is very informal. The most important criteria are:
1 your age and experience
2 the looks of the other person
3 your education and the way how you were raised
4 the scenario and location
demographics
I'm an 18 years old boy living in Leiden which is in South-Holland.
Let me start by saying that the reason why the book won't give you any guidance because we don't actually have any rules on the usage of either "je" or "u". It mostly depends on how you're raised, u is mostly politer and is commonly used in formal situations. I was raised in a good way so I mostly call older people u. professors at the university mostly use u. Clients are mostly adressed with u, in stores you could use either one or bedankt (which is thanks). Parents say je and I call them u
@fakexxlove, Omg, I live in geldrop. That's like 20 minutes away by bike.
About the amount of vieuw on your vids. Dutch people (like me) love to hear their language is super hard to speak and to read. well... Reading is possible, but writing without mistakes is even a bother for most dutch people.
Anyway I'm male and 16 years old. I'm from the province Limburg in the South and I think we say u more often here even though (I don't really live in the countryside but in the city of Maastricht:). Or 'geer/uuch((subject/object)which is u) as we say in our dialect and diech(which is you)
Most languages have formal forms, Modern English is an exeption.
Spanish Usted/Tu French Vous/Tu German Sie/Du.
Most of the rules of using a formal form are equal. U is formal, Je/Jij is informal.
To someone you do not know or is much older or more "important" you say U.
In the past most children said U against their parents, but now the majority of children says Jij to their parents (mostly strict Christian fam. use U).
@AndreasAntoniusMaria not only strict Christian families... i would say conservatives.. up north people prefer u to their parents as well.. how the people south use 'gij' in the south and Belgium I don't know, but there is less room for 'je'....
If we are speaking about Christian forms of U, it's only a capital letter when you adress to God in Dutch... and in German, Christians use the informal 'du' to show there is a connection
Thanx. I referred to my experiences with both my Dutch fam. (fath) and German fam. (moth). In Germany it is ridiculous to say Sie to your grandparents or uncles and aunties. But my Dutch grandparents would not approve spoken to in the JIJ form (although they were very nice people). Same counts for my uncles and aunties. And they are/were rather "strict Chr".
Always say ''u'' to someone you want to show respect, is much older, you don't know and is older or if you are in a situation where you speak formally.
Actually, I've noticed that dutch people (myself included!) tend to avoid to address other people directly and thus try to circumvent the problem. So, instead of "dank u" or "dank je", you would get "Bedankt".
With that in mind:
1) see above
2) Talk about the subject you want to talk about instead of addressing the teacher. "On the blackboard, it says..." instead of "excuse me, you wrote ... on the blackboard"
4. U to a waiter in a restaurant . To be respectful. The waiter will refer to us as U. If the waiter doesn't we'll think the waiter is inpolite.
5.At the office: well that's a different story. It depends on the culture of the compony. To my boss I'd say U instead of je. But to colleages je would be just fine. Clients -> U instead of je. It shows respect.
6. On youtube it's mostly je.
I'm 22 so I don't expect from someone to call me U. When I'm older I think I would.
1. Most Dutch people will say dank U but you can also say bedankt. Bedankt is word which can be used in any situation. When you speak to a younger person or to an older person. U shows respect. I will use it when I speak to someone who is older than me.
2. Some teachers want to be called U in stead of je. When I don't know what the teacher prefers, I'll use U.
3. Some kids say U to their parents. It's something which was used more often years a go..when our parents where younger.
U or je when a stranger hold the door open, depends on the fact if the person is older our same age our younger then your own. If he is olde you say U en when the same or younger is je.
u is simply with respect.. so your boss, teacher, parents or older people than you, actually english has a translation "Thou" , i know this is old, but basically with us this word didn't disappear. this word is for people in high status, the Queen of England for example still gets addressed with this word.
@Sanderos25 No, I only saw this comment. (And it would be "Your Majesty, what is *thy* will?" if you want to say it like that. It seems like in the movies they would say "What is Your Majesty's will?", but maybe I'm remembering wrong.) =)
thy will you are right. but are we talking about the English Queen or about U and JE.. translate U correctly to english and the translation should be THOU (or THEE) , or the other way around.. But U comes from a older word with a similar meaning GIJ, in the Southern provinces (Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg) they still use GIJ instead of U, we call this the Soft G dialects because like most foreigners they can't pronounce the G
@Sanderos25 You brought up the Queen. I was responding to your comment.
Anyway, I disagree that "thou" is a translation of "u" into English. They may have the same roots, but Dutch speakers use "u" quite often, and English speakers almost never use "thou."
@Prepoceros, you would not speak to the queen using, thee thou thy etc, unless your a bawdy Shakespearean character or want your head chopped off. You is the formal version and thee dropped out of use because everyone was trying to be more formal than everyone else. We think it's formal because it's old timey and Shakespearean but shakespear's plays were rude and bawdy.
@Sanderos25 in Belgium they also say 'gij' often, but I'm from Zeeland (the capitol) and we don't say 'gij' or talk with a soft G, maybe in the small villages :)
@Prepoceros The former Queen Juliana was a simple woman, who wanted to be adressed as 'mevrouw' (mrs.). The current Queen Beatrix changed it back to 'Majesteit' (Your Majesty'). And I'm almost sure that the future King William IV and Queen Máxima will be adressed with 'Your Majesty'.
@Sanderos25 Actually, Thou, thee, thy, etc. are the informal English variations of "you." We kept the formal version, you and your. That's part of the reason they are so frequent in the bible, because it was everyday speech. It was used to address God because people wanted to be "familiar" with Him. I don't know why English lost the informal version and kept the formal...
we have a sentense for that..is it oke if i call you 'je'?' ''mag ik u toeaeren" than you ask somebody if i you can call them 'je'instead of 'u ' i belive its a frensh word that we own in holland "toeaeren"
Hi! I think your video's about the dutch language are so cool, there are no other video's about the dutch accent on youtube like this so I think that's why you get so much comments. Would be cool if you can make another one!
i understand your questions, but you mother was dutch right? she could explain to you right? i might be wrong, but it could be a faster ways to get the wanted information...
1. Depends on how old the stranger is, if they're younger or only a few years older than me, I'd say 'je', but if they're much older I would definitely say 'u'.
2. Always 'u'.
3. I say 'u' to my parents, because I'm used to it. I'm allowed to say 'je' though.
4. Probably 'u', but if they're around my age I'm more likely to say 'je'.
5. I don't work, but it would also depend on age.
6. Always 'je'.
I'm 17, female, living in the province South Holland.
2) Teacher at highschool = u. Teacher at university = je.
3) I am actually surprised to see how many people here say that parents are called u. I rarely ever hear a child call a parent 'u'. When I happen to hear it, it sounds very strange and detached to me.
4) Depends, if the waiter acts formal I will use 'u'. If it is more informal I will use 'je'.
5) Daily colleagues are 'je', even if they are higher ranked. 'U' only with directors. And they will call each other 'je'.
I think that nexussini has given the right answers. I think it's really strange in the Netherlands when you say u to your parents. We say je the most of the times. I can't discribe a situation when I ecspect that he/she saying u to me.
I'm a 15 years old girl from the south of the Netherlands, from the village Etten-Leur (between Roosendaal and Breda).
P.S. I hope my english is correct because I'm not very well in grammar! :$ ;P
TheDoggirl96 2 days ago
u is like, to someone you have respect for like your parents, officers, teachers. but je is actually for like a regular person like a friend. its polite to say u instead of je
jari184 1 week ago
1: if stranger is older then me i say 'u' if not i say je. 2: teacher allways 'u'. 3: parents 'je'. 4: if the waiter is older again 'u' else 'je'. 5: at the office mostly 'je'. 6 youtube 'je' unless the poster is the president or something. The basic rule that applies is: you say 'u' in dutch to people older then you or if the people are in such a position you aught to respect them( like a judge or teacher). If the person in question is of the same age or younger and not in a formal position
nexussini 3 weeks ago
I always try to avoid saying dankje or danku by just saying bedankt:) I start calling people u when they are about 40 and older. I am 18 and live in a small city.
sarepaar 1 month ago
to much bla bla
jilespiritu 1 month ago
Addition to the Fifth one: I worked as tech support so my clients were the people working at the office :P only called the highest boss U purely out of respect for his position
Sixth: Youtube is informal so Je
I would not be offended if they would call me Je, I kinda feel odd when they call me U (and when little kids call me Sir)
Im 20 male and live in a small town, but been in cities alot aswell
RockDeviI 1 month ago
first one: Dank U if its someone older than me, Dankje if its someone my age (or close to my age)
Second one: Other comment (teachers call students Je)
Third one: I adress my parents with Je, but am not allowed to use their names, like: Pa, Ma, Papa, Mama (when i was little it was Papa en Mama, now its Pa and Mam)
Four: Waiter refers to me as U, i refer to the waiter as Je if he or she is around my age
Fifth: Only worked at an office that was non formal so Je (except for the highest boss)
RockDeviI 1 month ago
I am 20 and my parents taught me to say U to people who are older than i am (like alot older, not people who are 21) and at for example job interviews in school they make you say U to teachers between the age of 12 and 16, between 16 and the end of school you call teachers by their first name an say je, but that depends on if they allow it, i also usually forget if people told me i could say je instead of U and then say U anyway xP (most people say: you should say je, U makes me sound so old)
RockDeviI 1 month ago
Hoi,
All people with a higher (age, work, social distance) status are "u".
Lower/equal status is "je". A distant familymember that I would dislike would become "u" to show distance and maybe discontent (Very insulting, kicking someone out of the personal crew like that). When I don't know if someone is a "U" or a "je", I say neither Dankje or Danku, I would say Bedankt. There is a way to build a sentence like that.Or I just ask what someone preferres.
Female, 24, Utrecht, Netherlands.
1987marjo 1 month ago
@1987marjo
I wouldnt call a distant family member U if i disliked them, i say U to either people i dont know or people i respect (of course thats just for older people im not gonna say U to someone my own age)
RockDeviI 1 month ago
@RockDeviI But you must agree with me that changing je into u is considered an offence. Unless: I could say je to my grandpa until I was older and understood that u was considered respect for his old age. A slightly older cousin that i started to dislike alot, a time ago, became u, not to show respect, but to kick him out, make verbal distance. Have you never heard of this? Im almost 25 now, and I notice that people my own age (when making aquintance) say u to me.
1987marjo 1 month ago
@1987marjo
Not exactly (i did the same thing with my grandparents btw they became u when i got older) i call people i disrespect je, to show i dont think of them as higher then myself, for example someone of middle age being rude to me will be je and not u to show i dont respect him enough as an older person to call him u
RockDeviI 1 month ago
I always say 'jij' but that was not one of the choises.
kajmusic 1 month ago in playlist Meer video's van Prepoceros
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Parents: always je. Hardly anyone has to say u to family members.
Waiter: we address each other with u.
Coworkers (that you know well): je. Boss or clients/customers: u.
On Youtube: I don't think anyone would ever say u.
So basically, you say u to people who are older than you, to strangers and to people who are above you (like your boss, teacher, client). You say je to people you know (family, friends, people at school or coworkers) and to young people (until ± 20 yo.)
jh110695 1 month ago
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What matters most are your own age, the other person's age and the relationship between the two. I'm a 16 year old guy, I live in a small town (but with a high population density) in the province of Limburg and this is what I do:
At the store (or anywhere else) when someone holds the door open for me: people of around my age (up to 20, I guess) or younger: je, if they're older: u.
Teacher: always u. Only in primary school you're allowed to say je. Teacher says je to me, because I'm younger (..)
jh110695 1 month ago
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jh110695 1 month ago
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jh110695 1 month ago
hubo70
you say to all the people who are older as you U
hubo70 2 months ago in playlist Meer video's van Prepoceros
In University, we students are "u", as well as, of course, the teacher (strange person mostly counts here, i don't think it's because it's formal. And "u" to the teacher in high school, who calls the students "je".
Best way to analyze: when you call someone by their FIRST NAME (thumbs up on this cuz this seems to be THE rule), you say: "je" .
VreemdeFogel92 2 months ago 2
Actually, when you speak with two words: yes sir, no, miss, THEN it's "u". Mostly works i guess.
VreemdeFogel92 2 months ago
and not "u" to kids!
VreemdeFogel92 2 months ago
1. A stranger holds a door open for you - yes.
2. Talking to the teacher during class - yes.
3. Your parents (or your children) - some people, but NO.
4. A waiter in a restaurant - yes.
5. At the office - no. except old or boss or formal but mostly: NO.
6. On YouTube - NO.
VreemdeFogel92 2 months ago
1) In the supermarket, I would say 'u' when older, je when younger
2) My professors / teachers I always addressed with 'u'
3) I always say 'je' to my parents but I say 'u' to my mother in law still now because my wife does so too
4) The waiter: U
5) Business: Always je to colleagues, and mostly u to clients, or je to wellknown clients
6) On Youtube, mostly 'je'
7) kids: U
I am 100% Dutch and about 30 yrs old.
TheDfTg 2 months ago
1. I'd probably say "bedankt", which is kind of a mix of both.
2. Unless the teacher tells me I can say "je", I say "u" and they always say "je" to us
3. In belgium they often say "u" to their parents, where I live it's usually "je" or just mom/dad
4. If it's someone my age, I just say "je", if the person is older I tend to say "u"
5. I'd say "je" to my colleagues
6. On youtube I call people "je"
I'm 17 years old and I live in a small town in Friesland. :)
sailxonxmusic 2 months ago
a lot of young adults ask me, when i say "u" to use je because it makes them feel old xD
chielliemans 2 months ago
@chielliemans yup, definitely a common thing, hahah!
VreemdeFogel92 2 months ago
1. Older than 21: u. adolescent: je
2. u, no exceptions, at least not in school environment
3. je
4. u
5. u in general, je for closer colleagues
6. je (u can be used in a comical way, or to persons you actually know)
It bothers me when people say 'je' against teachers, and 'u' should be used between shoppers and shop assistants. The proper use of 'u' and 'je' should be maintained, since it gives more freedom to express oneself. Also see VHSback's post about the use of U, Hij etc.
z01010000b 3 months ago
u is for people you have to be polite to, like teachers, strangers, managers.
je is for known people, like parents, friends.
pepijndevree 3 months ago
Ik weet niet. Ik doe het gewoon op gevoel. Als iemand ouder is dan zeg ik u ;-)
Heartgirl2u 3 months ago
Hi, probably you already sorted out a lot of the U/je stuff because it's a long time ago you posted this video. But anyway: Je is used in most situations and with people your own age always. If you meet people who are older, like a friend's parents or your new boss, etc. there is a kind of cultural ritual in which you start by using U to this person and then the person will in almost all cases immediately respond by saying: zeg maar je hoor! (please use je!)
ThierryvanDijk 3 months ago
1. Bedank. if he is old i say danku
2. U
3.
ratelslangen 3 months ago
Well I'm from Rotterdam..where people in general speak their minds. but for the "opening the door" situation, i would say: Dankjewel..and smile of course :)
For the teacher-student situation we normally say 'u' to the teacher en the teacher says 'je'. unless the teacher indicates we can say 'je', wich nowadays happends a lot. And for the parent thing, back in the day it was 'u' because the relationship between parent and child was more serious and 'business' :P All my friends say 'je'
adavdwerff2 3 months ago in playlist Meer video's van Prepoceros
[2/2]
A fun fact, which you probably didnt notice. In the youtube description you refer "u" with an capital. We dutch people only use u with a capital in writings if we talk about God or someone like the queen.
Also belgians refer to u way more than the dutch.
And for more dutch language fun which a lot of foreigners cant speak is the "ui"-sound, like in Huis and muis.
VHSback 3 months ago
[1/2]
I'm a 19 years old man(including brabants accent), live in Tilburg and study in Delft. I actually normally respond everyone with "je" :p
exception for the Dank-u-wel part. I learned to say dankuwel and never really changed it. For teachers or someone else higher than me I somehow only start to talk with "u" if I really dislike them. I also speak with the "u" at older people(70+).
As for waiters, I have never seen a waiter speaking with "je" towards me.
VHSback 3 months ago
5. It depends on if I think the person is sympathic. If he/she seems sympathic, I'd ask for the Du.
6. I'd call everyone on Youtube Du. No exception.
7. I think I won't be offended 'cause I'm kinda of "the young generation" but I'm not sure how it would be with my grandma or my mother.
(Male, 14, Germany in a quite big city.)
Yachase 4 months ago
I'm gonna see this in the german opinion, with the formal form "Sie" and the non formal form "Du".
1. In this situation I'd call the person Du (Je), if he/she is on my age or even younger. Otherwise it would be Sie (U).
2. To teachers we always say Sie, and the teachers call us Du.
3. To the parents we say Du, as well as they do to us.
4. I'd refer to the waiter as Sie and the waiter would refer as the same to me.
Yachase 4 months ago
that's why i freaking love english, it's so akward when you don't know if you have to say u or je to a person.
jortjuuuuuh 4 months ago
To answer the other questions: I'm 21 years old and I live in Hengelo. It's in the eastern province Overijssel. It's quite a large city, if you would compare it to other city's in the province. We also have our own dialect (is that the right word??), called Twents. If you ask people from a western city about us, they would probably call us farmers, which we're not. But it's because of the way we speak. You can compare it to a southern American accent I guess.
NicckB90 4 months ago
how on earth did you learn to speak dutch? the most foreign people can't even pronounce one sentence, without ripping their tongue
Tricker71 4 months ago
1. It depends on who holds the door. If it's an old person, I would say U. If it would be someone much younger than me or close to my age, I would say JE.
2. Teachers say JE. Students say U.
3. Both JE. And most people call them MAMA or PAPA, but I do know people who call their parents by their first name.
4. I always say U.
5. Colleagues JE. Boss and clients JE.
6. JE, but 99% of the time I would say you, because most people here speak English.
NicckB90 4 months ago
U is more like the polite form ( i don't know if am writing it right)
When you talk to older people or people you don't know.
You use je more for when your talking to your friends ...
Actually i always say 'ge' cause it's my dialect...
BTW ; i think you speak dutch well ...
HannexMusic 4 months ago
Extra: I would be offended when a police officer or bus driver would address me as JE. Oh I'm 22 years old and I live in Eindhoven, the fifth largest city in The Netherlands. It's in the southern province North-Brabant. It's called North-Brabant because South-Brabant is in North Belgium. In The Netherlands, North-Brabant is usually just referred as "Brabant"
MaxwellEindhoven 4 months ago
Situation 1: You can use both, but if it's an older person you could use U
Situation 2: Usually the teacher addresses you with JE. You address the teacher always as U.
Situation 3 Children are always JE. Parents are also addressed as JE.
Situation 4: When you are being served you usually say U
Situation 5: Usually all your colleagues are addressed as JE. Your boss and clients usually as U.
Situation 6: YouTube is very anonymous so usually you address everybody as JE.
MaxwellEindhoven 4 months ago
Seeing as I had 500 characters in the last comment here comes the demographic information:
I'm 20 years old, go to College (HBO) in Rotterdam. I live on the island Goeree-Overflakkee in Zuid-Holland (it's just north of Zeeland). I live in a village with approximately 7000 inhabitants.
MufferNl 5 months ago
1) Depends on the age. If the person is clearly younger you'd say je. I other cases you'd say u. Clothes don't matter.
2) Again depends on the teacher. There are teachers I call je and some I call u. No difference between level of education.
3) Parents normally call their children je and for parents it differs.
4) Always u except when you know him/her well.
5) Depends on the relationship.
6) Indeed always je.
On another note, capital u is only used for god.
I would not be offended anytime
MufferNl 5 months ago
Not used in family or with friends ofcourse
B1tburg 5 months ago
U has to do with the amount of respect you have for a person.
It's as simple as that.
The way one uses it is simply a matter of upbringing.
As a buisiness person it's a standard.
B1tburg 5 months ago
on the list i agree with. fakexxlove.
and being 23 years old i can't expect anyone to say U to me. and if they do say U, i suddenly feel old and boring. 23 years old. male. city: Breda province: Brabant.
ga zo door, je hebt goede videos!
beersvanbas 5 months ago
Oh btw, the extra question: yes, if I'm in a store and I have a complaint and the person working there keeps referring to me as je, then I feel sort of offended. It doesn't show any sign of respect in that case. And your other question, I'm 22, female, live in nijmegen, which is a relatively big city, yet not comparable to let's say Amsterdam, but is the oldest city in Holland. Thanks again for the video!
bobrunsveld 5 months ago
5: work: to coworkers, you pretty much always say "je", bc its most of the time informal, to your boss, or to clients etc, you always say u, but this is not a strict rule. A lot of people feel old when people say u, so most people will ask you to just say je. And last but not least, on YouTube, you simply say je, bc its incredibly informal, still, if watching a video of an elderly person and you request contact for let's say business, then you say u. Hardly ever happens though...
bobrunsveld 5 months ago
4: restaurant, as a waiter or storeemployee you always say u, no matter what, if in a conversation and the person requests you to say je, then you say je. Talking to a waiter tho, is most of the time je, but also depends on the age of the waiter and how fancy the restaurant is. The fancier, the more likely it is that you say u instead.
bobrunsveld 5 months ago
1: that depends how old the person is, if its an older person than u say u, not old, he, 2 depends on what the teacher wants, mostly the rule is u, but the teacher wants je, 3 same as teacher, mostly je.
bobrunsveld 5 months ago
you ALWAYS say 'U' when you're speaking to an older person you've never met. If you have known this person for a while he/she 'll tell you 'zeg maar je hoor' which means: 'you can call me JE'.
When speaking to a person of the same age or a jonger person you're always allowed to say JE. --> this is for young people, an adult always starts with U (person you don't know
you ALWAYS adress teachers / your boss with U because this person has a higher status? (I don't know how to say this in English)
hydacium 5 months ago
U = Formally , je-jij = informal
MRjesseNL 5 months ago
im 16 years old im from nijmegen in gelderland. im a girl !
1. dankje or dankjewel but if that person is older like a grandma i use u
2. je , je
3. i call my parents je
4. i say je , they call me u and for me it doesnt matter what kind of restaurant.
5. i called my boss je.
6. je
7. im 16 so no one would call me u
if you want to be polite you use u, otherwise just je. i never say u to friends.
ilouisee0602 5 months ago in playlist Meer video's van Prepoceros
I am very grateful for your postings because I'm rehearsing for a play in which I play a character (VanHelsing) from Holland. I wonder if you can tell me how you would pronounce the name 'Seward' in english with a Dutch accent?
aSageMoment 5 months ago
@aSageMoment I think the final 'd' would be devoiced (check out my video on devoicing final consonants) to more of a 't' sound. I'm guessing that the 'a' would also be more of an 'ah' sound than the typical British/American ('uh') that would normally go there.
If you put these together, the 'ard' at the end comes out sounding like 'art,' instead of 'urd' as it would be in English.
Maybe an actual Dutch speaker can tell you if this is correct . . .
Prepoceros 5 months ago
@Prepoceros You are right, the last part is indeed pronounced as "art"
The first part is kinda like SAY, without the Y. So the S and then an A sound since we pronounce the E as your A (try to keep up with me here :P).
In the end it should sound like say-wart, but don't pronounce the Y.
Love from Holland! :)
Oh yeah,..
20 years old, live in Enschede (around 157.587 inhabitants), and I'm Male.
Sjiiit 5 months ago
@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
beersvanbas 5 months ago
@beersvanbas You may be right that that's how a Dutch person would read the name, but keep in mind the context. The character in the play is probably imitating the way he has heard the name pronounced by English speakers, but with a Dutch accent. The English/American pronunciation of the first syllable is "soo," which is pretty close to a sound that exists in Dutch, so a Dutch-speaking character would probably pronounce the first syllable similarly to the English pronunciation "soo."
Prepoceros 5 months ago
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@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
beersvanbas 5 months ago
@Prepoceros this is correct info. but to complete it: the E in Seward is pronounced like the A in english. and i think that ''say-wahrt" would be the the phonetic version for an English reading person. from a dutch speaker.
beersvanbas 5 months ago
Very simple, U is formal, je/jij is informal. So at any point you want to be polite, use U, otherwise use je/jij.
Krukkie 5 months ago
...The waitor sometimes calles me u but sometimes je, since I'm still young. Children, teens and students usually call each other je. A client, unless younger than 15, is always called u. Colleagues start off with calling each other u sometimes, but usually, if you spend your days working together, you start calling each other je. Close family is usually je, distant usually u, unless they tell you to call them je. That goes for pretty much all adults. It's similar to the American usage of sir.
NoezieXII 5 months ago
I'm sixteen, so most people, if not all, refer to me as je. My parents call me je, I call them je. I've heard that older people had to call their parents u, but it hardly ever occurs now. I don't know one person mmy age who says u to their parents, but I'm guessing that some still do (I suspect that it happens more often with somewhat religious families, but I could be wrong). When we go out to diner I usually call the waitor u, bot sometimes je if he/she is still pretty young...
NoezieXII 5 months ago
u is the same like je/jij but u is formal and je/jij informal.
Also the verb changes with je/jij and u doesn't have verb changing
Example:
Jij/je slaapt. -- Slaap jij/je? (you sleep)
U slaapt -- Slaapt u?
The t is the problem with this when the jij/je stands after the verb the verb doesn't ever have a T (no exceptions) Like in the example.
If jij/je stands in front of the verb it always ends with a T like in the example.
But u doesn't have that chance but the meaning stays the same. u is jij
sannetussch22 6 months ago
You also asked about situations where people would get insulted if you use the wrong one.
Then I would say when I go out shopping. As a client I should always get referred to as U it's the polite thing to do. But sometimes I get referred to as JE (usually by young employees). I find that insulting. Clients should always get respect. (no matter if there annoying or not)
MarjWas 6 months ago
1) Dank U wel (unless the stranger is very young (teenager or younger))
2) U and refers to me as JE
3) JE, but to other people's parents I use U
4) U both
5) To my co workers JE but to clients and bosses U
6) In general JE but If I notice that the person is old (65+) I would use U
I'm 22 years old and live in Alkmaar it's a City with about 93.000 inhabitants don't know if you would call that big but I do. It's about 42 km north of Amsterdam. And I'm female.
MarjWas 6 months ago
(2)
As a teacher i like to hear U. Its mostly a sign that the child is good behaved or listened to you.
I live in the North of The Netherlands (TN) (Leeuwarden, Friesland). I noticed that the West of TN and the larger cities have less U then other parts. It may be that they interact with more people and tend to lose the U that way. It is the same as the way people great eachother on the streets. I was used to greet everyone i came across untill i moved to the City. (sorry for my english)
greencodra 6 months ago
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greencodra 6 months ago
Like most people already said, U is for when you are speaking to people you tend to have respect for, teachers, your boss, grandparents, strict parents, customers (if you work in a shop of sorts). Im a learning to be a Teacher in secondary school and there is something that i noticed. If you start your first class with group they tend to speak to you with U, aspecially the younger childeren. But when you start to know these childeren the U starts to fade a little bit.
greencodra 6 months ago
People out of boredome just search "dutch language" on youtube to see how foreigners pronounce it. You can find your vids via that way.
JahiriAtto 6 months ago
Just to elaborate on the "Gij" and "Ge" form, in Antwerp (Belgium) it's more dialected and can almost freely be interchanged with "Jij" or "je", but you still use "u" for the polite things. You can always say "Dank je" if you are talking to a friends. However, even in Antwerp, don't say "Dank gij/ge", it will sound ridiculous :P
(To make it even more difficult and to make an even bigger differentiation(?) between Hollands and Antwerps", you can change "jouw" (your) into "uw" if you used "Gij" )
angstjager 6 months ago
Strange, older people : u, Stranger younger people: je, If you know the person better he or she shall tell you what to say: some schools: u some schools je, have to do with the cultural (christianity) issues. More common is je at this time. My parents I call je and u one and other times, is a question of feeling, u is never a fault. The person will tell you that you can say je.. je is minor u is major, that's all..
darkroomutr 6 months ago
Hallo ! "U"is de beleefdheidsvorm, maar "je" wordt ook gebruikt met onbekenden... bv : op straat : Sorry, zou je me kunnen zeggen hoe laat het is?" (het gebruik van modale werkwoorden en de conditionele vorm maakt het eveneens "beleefd"...)
In Vlaanderen bestaat de "ge, gij" vorm nog, en die is te vergelijken met de "thou" in het Engels... ttz een oudere vorm, maar door dialect-gebruik in Vlaanderen is "ge, gij" nog steeds in gebruik... bv : Hebt ge uw boek meegebracht?
frankymomo 6 months ago
i was born in the netherlands so i was raised with the language ofcourse im not really dutch im albanian so and i learned fluent english so thats dutch, albanian, english those 3 i know very very well now im learning korean wich is one tough mtf
ja mensen nederland is oke maar vergeleken met andere landen zuigt het erg en nou zeggen ga weg dan ? ik zou niets liever willen maar zo makkelijk is het niet.,.. dus houd je bek dicht
beratio 7 months ago
Silviojameslojam 7 months ago
Thank you, thank you cleaner than can both
KIKZORZZZ 7 months ago
@ store: Dank u to an older person, dank je to equal age and younger. Also; people with a high job function you would address as u.
@ teacher: If the teacher let's you call them by their first name you say je, in all other cases u (pretty much if you address as mister ... then you say u). the teacher says je to all students, unless the teach the elderly.
@ parents mostly je. Maybe families that are very strict and have to be representative for the outside world it might be u. But mostly je.
ICAT600 7 months ago
A waiter: The waiter refers to you as u if they are doing their job right. In most cases it is considered polite if you say u back as well. But when the waiter is a lot younger it's OK to say je. In the more expensive restaurants everyone says u to each other. And in for instance a place like Subway/ any other simple food corner the customer will say je to the waiter. And they say je/u back, depending on if you are older/younger than them.
ICAT600 7 months ago
@ the office :colleagues je, boss mostly u , unless it is a more informal atmosphere (you always start of with u). At clients mostly u (in letters always), unless they tell 'je' is OK or when you feel the atmosphere is more informal, especially with younger clients.
@ youtube viewers je. Maybe if you really respect someone that also happens to be older you would say u.
ICAT600 7 months ago
@ offended. It is a choice of course to be offended. But if someone is trying to be dominant in a work situation by saying je it could be offending. For instance if you are a teacher and a parent is upset and says je to make you feel young and stupid that would be offending. Also I think it is rude when telemarketers say je.
@ demographic, Friesland, city, 30, female =)
ICAT600 7 months ago
Stranger: U, unless he/she adresses me with je, OR age below 24 (=my age +5)
Elementary school (=the American version?) is je both to the teaches and to me, high school depends on the teacher's preference but he/she says je, college is always u but the teachers say je and sometimes u
Parents: je, both ways
Waiter: u, both ways
Work: u to customers and je to staff
Youtube: je
Offended if adressed as je in formal situation (without asking)
Age: 19, male, from North-Brabant
Tijntjuh1992 8 months ago
1. I suppose I would say 'dankje' But if that person is older than me, perhaps I might say 'danku'
2. Most time I say 'u' But most teachers say 'please, don't say u, because than I feel so old!' So than I say 'je'. Teachers say 'je' to sudents.
3. I call my parent, and even my grandparents "je", but I know a lot of people who say ''u'' to their parents.
4. If the waiter/waitress is young I say 'je'. Most time they say 'u' to costumers.
5. I say 'je' to everyone including my boss.
6. je
1074411 8 months ago
your accent is very funny, i like it!
keviemann 9 months ago
Mabe you have to wach thekelvlog ditismilan gode Nederlandse vloggers
vagegast37 9 months ago
Always call Cops 'U' unless you want to disrespect them with all consequences.
dune2online 9 months ago
I break it down to this.
Most adults under 55 don't want to be called 'u' anymore because they want to be informal and young.
1. If you are under 25 years of age. Address all adult 30+ with 'U' and everyone under 30 you may call 'je', unless it's a business relation which you do not know face to face.
2. If you yourself are 25+ (aka young adult to be taken somewhat serious by other older adults you call everyone 35 or younger 'je' and people 35+ you should call 'u' unless you get acquainted.
dune2online 9 months ago
In Flemish Belgium, we also use 'ge' in stead of 'je/u in informal language, with another verb-pronounciation with it... It's pretty difficult to give an explenation of it thouroughly, because for us, it's so normal. It comes to personal habits, whether you use Ge/Je/U in these kinds of situations. I even always just used "ge" to my teachers in school, and also to my mother, family, friends and even to strangers (customers at the pub where I did my summerjob)...
raveoursoulz 9 months ago
1. If they're older "u", otherwise "je"
2. Personally, always "u", but others do say "je", the teacher says "je"
3. Personally I call my parents "je"
4. Same as #1, and it probably only matters if it's a 3-star restaurant
5. I only have a side job, but I call everyone "je", including my boss
6. I generally only speak English on youtube, but I would say "je"
7. There is no situation where I'd be offended, because I'm only 18 years old
I'm male and not conformtable disclosing my location :P
LanteanKnight 10 months ago
In the south and Belgium people say 'u' more often. Below the rivers. :)
I'm younger than most waiters, so I call them 'u', older people can say 'je'. I think waiters should call customers 'u'
Collegues are 'je', if you're not familiar with some they're 'u'
I call youtubers 'je', it's informal aswell. But I usually say 'jullie' maybe I'd call the primminister 'u' on youtube?
I'm too young to should be called 'u' (15) but older people should be. I'm a girl from Delft, Zuid-Holland (randstad)
twiddict 10 months ago
@twiddict
Yes, we Belgians do use "u" a lot more but we also say "ge" instead of "je" (in some places afcourse not). But the fact of the matter is, when we are speaking in our dialects, "u" doesn't have that overpolite connotation it has in the standardlanguage. In some Flemish dialects "u" is pronounced as "aa" or "ij", and isn't concidered polite at all. But let's not make it too complicated by including dialects shall we? Use "u" to people you're supposed to be extra polite with.
driesdree 10 months ago
I'd use 'Dank u' in the first situation, but if the other person is younger, you're allowed to say 'je', the trick is to use 'Bedankt' xD I'm a native speaker, and I mess u/je up half of the time, because it's about respect, and that's different for everyone, I usually mash them together in somthing like 'dankuhwel'
Your teacher is always u! They call you 'je'. In primary school it's sometimes 'je'
I always say 'je' to my mom. She used 'u' on her parents 50 years ago.
twiddict 10 months ago
I am assuming you have by now heard a lot of good answers, so I would like to bring something else up. A "polite" form (for lack of a better word) exists in Dutch (U en je), German (du and sie) and French (tu and vouz), although their use differs per country. In general, we as the Dutch tend to use the "je" form more often than the other two. Also, each country has a special verb for the process of changing from polite to "simple" form (Dutzen in german, tutoyer in French and tutoyeren in Dutch)
nsg666 10 months ago
@nsg666 What I just wanted to add, seeing that English takes so many from these three languages (or the other way around) I have always found it most remarkable that English does not have such a distinction. It may be a bit more practical, but I still think this distinction has certain "old world" charm/elegance. It is very reminiscent of shakespearian English.
nsg666 10 months ago
Hej. I'm 18 from Flanders, Dutch speaking region of Belgium
1) I mostly say "Merci" from the french word to say thank you. We do say it with a dutch accent! Dankje is not very common here
2) At university we have to say U to our Professors. Some react very furious when you say "je", "beste"
3) Je, even to my grandparents
4) Mostly Je
5) You start with U and when you know them better, you say je
6) Mainly Je
I do not expect U from others, happily because that would me i'm getting old :)
Danius2506 10 months ago
1) Door: dank je, unless the person is older. If I adress them first, its always u
2) Teacher: u, teacher calls me je (except on Uni now, they call us u)
3) Je, I know no one who says u except people from my parents generation
4) Je, unless the person is older. They adress me with u.
5) Bosses and clients are u, unless they say its okay to say je. The rest is je.
6) Je, always. Unless maybe it's someone really smart and famous >.>
I'm a 22 year old female. I rarely expect U from others.
Amsjes 10 months ago
the difference between U or je in Dutch seems to be the same as the difference between tu and Usted in Spanish. Tu is an informal, friendly way to say "you", Usted is a formal, respectful way to say "you".
imtheonlysane1here 10 months ago
1. Danku! Strangers, u as well. Unless you're talking to children.
2. Teachers: u!! (you will get VERY strange looks if you say je) Teachers on the other hand will always use je
3. Parents: in the old days, I've heard, some children had to say u (much like sir and ma'am). But that is really not done anymore. Parents call children je as well.
4. Waiter, if they're much younger, maybe je, but usually u. Waiter should definitely address you with u.
5. Je, to peers and subord. U to superiors.
6. Je
JackoWacko0087 10 months ago
I only say 'u' if I want something from the person (who I've never seen before) I'm talking to... But that's me, everyone has their own view on the use of 'je' of 'u'.
49mohT 10 months ago
1. Most of the times 'je', but also the neutral 'bedankt'. (thanks)
2. In highschool it was always 'u', but at the university, some teachers were adressed by their first names, some meneer/mevrouw [last name]
3. I use 'je' all the time, my parents use both (haven't figured out a pattern yet).
4. Pretty much always 'u'.
5. In formal meetings it's 'u', among colleagues it's 'je'. With managers it depends on how well you know them.
6. Je, very simple.
GroteB 10 months ago
@GroteB
(part 2):
I'd be more offended if a stranger adressed me with 'u'.
28, male, Amsterdam
GroteB 10 months ago
1 if the person is more then 10 years older u say U, or u can say Bedankt.
2 in class you cal ur teacher by lastname. or Mevrouw or Menneer
3 80% call there parents je
4 in restaurants its U, exept its a person around ur age.
5 in a office its je.
6 no i never cal anyone U on youtube
No, no one wil call me U becaus im 16 year xd
female i live in the the city Leeuwarden. (friesland)
SorayaChoose 10 months ago
if the person is more than 10 years older then you you mostly say U
SorayaChoose 10 months ago
1. It would depend on how old the person would be, if it's someone young i'd say je, but if it's someone who's elderly, I'd say U
2. I always say U to my teachers, and they say je to me.
3. I always say je to my parents
4. I don't pay much attention to that, but again, for me it depends on the age of the person
5. You say U to your boss and clients
6. I always say je on youtube, except when I know the person I'm commenting on is elderly
7. I won't feel offended if anyone says je to me
RoowLovesMusic 11 months ago
I think two of the most prominent rules of thumb:
First name basis with someone = je
Adressed person is a lot older = u
Stroomschok 11 months ago 4
1) Dank U
2) U - "Meneer" or "Mevrouw"
3) Je - mother: "ma" or "mama" or father: "pa" or "papa"
4) U - U no it doesn't mather, the next time you just don't go there anymore xD
5) your boss: meneer. (then the last name) - your clients U - meneer - mevrouw
6) I don't know
"je" is for everyone you know well, for friends etc. for people you don't know and they look old it is "U" ... like to a old lady on the bus like something its U,
JoyLine001 11 months ago
you can also say 'jij' instead of 'je' if you're pointing anyone out in specific
larshamberg12341234 11 months ago
Just a piece of advise to be on the safe site, just always use 'u' first when you meet someone who is clearly older then you. Most people will say, just call me 'je'.
TQ255 11 months ago
I live in a part of the Netherlands called Groningen. In the Groninger language we say joe, pronounced as you, to older people and people you treat with respect. I also call my parents joe or u, simply out of respect.
In Gronings Du, same as in German, is the word for jij.
TQ255 11 months ago
It's really hard to think of a situation where I would be offended if somebody said 'je' to me. Usually in everyday situations, 'je' would be fine. The only thing I can think of is maybe when children that I don't know say 'je'. But even then there has to be some other impoliteness in what they're saying or doing for me to feel irritated (offended is the wrong word).
PS Maybe a good question would also be: What do say to your parents-in-law? I say 'je', but that felt very strange at first.
JaneFokster 11 months ago
continued..
4) It really depends on the place and the age of the waiters. In a formal restaurant it's usually 'u' both ways. In a more trendy, young, informal place, with young waiters, it's usually 'je'.
5) 'je', even to the managing director.
6) The only situation I can imagine would be if a really old Dutch lady or man would make their own video where they tell a story or something and I would comment on that. But that's never happened.
JaneFokster 11 months ago
First of all, I'm a woman, 43 yrs old, originally from Amsterdam, now living just outside of it.
1) Depends on the age of the stranger. If they are more than a few years older than me, I will say 'u'.
2) I used to always say 'u' to my teachers, but I don't know what it's like these days
3) I've always said 'je' to my parents and I hardly know anyone who says 'u'. I DO say 'u' to most of my aunts and uncles though.
to be continued...
JaneFokster 11 months ago
About the bonus question. I,m Dutch myself and I can't imagine people getting offended by using "je" instead of "U" bit it's just being polite to mostly strangers. There are even people that don't like to be refered to as "U" cause it makes them feel old. Kind funny actually.
hellix01 11 months ago
Hi,
Very interesting video! It made me wonder about how I use U and JE and here are my answers.
I agree with that you say U to an older person (or somebody younger who you respect) and JE to a younger person, however: in my line of work (I am an officer of the law) U is the only way to adres people (no matter what their age is) and that should be vice versa.
JeroenSitV 11 months ago
I don't say U to my parents, but they did always expect me to call them papa & mama (mom&dad) when I was little, not to just call their names. mainly, you say U to your elders, and respectable people like a teacher (in university, you're more equal, so the line isn't as clear there), or a police officer. your clients are always U, as is your superior, unless your on a friendly basis with him/her. context is also important. 19 y/o male from Hilversum&Maastricht (large town&smallish city) student
wesseldevries3 11 months ago
People are rarely insulted by an inpolite use of either je or u but people tend to think that a wrongful use can be rather impolite, people do care when they're inpolitely treated by a salesman. That's the only situation I can think of which could actually insult anyone. I do want to empasize though that this a really uninportant part of the Dutch language. Even Dutchmen among themselves tend to disagree on what the rightful usage of these words is so I wouldn't worry about it if i were you.
Pedinforce 11 months ago
A waiter is adressed with u and he adresses you with u as well, mostly out of respect. Friends are adressed with je and the internet is very informal. The most important criteria are:
1 your age and experience
2 the looks of the other person
3 your education and the way how you were raised
4 the scenario and location
demographics
I'm an 18 years old boy living in Leiden which is in South-Holland.
I attend at the Leiden University Law School
Pedinforce 11 months ago
Let me start by saying that the reason why the book won't give you any guidance because we don't actually have any rules on the usage of either "je" or "u". It mostly depends on how you're raised, u is mostly politer and is commonly used in formal situations. I was raised in a good way so I mostly call older people u. professors at the university mostly use u. Clients are mostly adressed with u, in stores you could use either one or bedankt (which is thanks). Parents say je and I call them u
Pedinforce 11 months ago
@fakexxlove, Omg, I live in geldrop. That's like 20 minutes away by bike.
About the amount of vieuw on your vids. Dutch people (like me) love to hear their language is super hard to speak and to read. well... Reading is possible, but writing without mistakes is even a bother for most dutch people.
amgoo12 11 months ago
Anyway I'm male and 16 years old. I'm from the province Limburg in the South and I think we say u more often here even though (I don't really live in the countryside but in the city of Maastricht:). Or 'geer/uuch((subject/object)which is u) as we say in our dialect and diech(which is you)
EurosongGek2011 11 months ago
1. It depends on how old the person is, if he's/she's below 30 I'd say dank je, if he/she is older I'd say dank u
2. I'd never say jij/je to a teacher. NEVER EVER! So I always call them u and they say je/jij back
3. I'm saying je to my parents :)
4.We'd both say u and no it doesn't have to do with the 'niceness' of a restaurant.
5. To older people I'd say u and I'd definetly say u to my boss or clients.
6.On youtube I would say je :) It's indeed very informal
EurosongGek2011 11 months ago
Well, my parents taught me to say U to them. Mostly so it would be easier for me to say U to others, like my teachers, and strangers.
AAvdH 11 months ago
@fakexxlove You didn't even spell your own city name AND county name right:P EinDhoven and (Noord-)BrabanT
Sanderos25 11 months ago
1. If the stranger is older than me (Dank u)
2. Dank u (to my teacher high school)
3. Dank u (To my parents)
4. Dank u (formal and older persons) Dank je (if the person is around my age)
5. Dank je (because it not formal)
6. Dank je (because you don't know their age) If I know the person is older than me like I'm 19 and he/she is 30
No one calls me 'u' yet because I'm just 19.
I'm 19, female, small town, zeeland from the Netherlands.
Hummol 1 year ago
Most languages have formal forms, Modern English is an exeption.
Spanish Usted/Tu French Vous/Tu German Sie/Du.
Most of the rules of using a formal form are equal. U is formal, Je/Jij is informal.
To someone you do not know or is much older or more "important" you say U.
In the past most children said U against their parents, but now the majority of children says Jij to their parents (mostly strict Christian fam. use U).
AndreasAntoniusMaria 1 year ago
@AndreasAntoniusMaria not only strict Christian families... i would say conservatives.. up north people prefer u to their parents as well.. how the people south use 'gij' in the south and Belgium I don't know, but there is less room for 'je'....
If we are speaking about Christian forms of U, it's only a capital letter when you adress to God in Dutch... and in German, Christians use the informal 'du' to show there is a connection
Sanderos25 11 months ago
@Sanderos25
Thanx. I referred to my experiences with both my Dutch fam. (fath) and German fam. (moth). In Germany it is ridiculous to say Sie to your grandparents or uncles and aunties. But my Dutch grandparents would not approve spoken to in the JIJ form (although they were very nice people). Same counts for my uncles and aunties. And they are/were rather "strict Chr".
AndreasAntoniusMaria 11 months ago
Always say ''u'' to someone you want to show respect, is much older, you don't know and is older or if you are in a situation where you speak formally.
lazz6 1 year ago
Actually, I've noticed that dutch people (myself included!) tend to avoid to address other people directly and thus try to circumvent the problem. So, instead of "dank u" or "dank je", you would get "Bedankt".
With that in mind:
1) see above
2) Talk about the subject you want to talk about instead of addressing the teacher. "On the blackboard, it says..." instead of "excuse me, you wrote ... on the blackboard"
4) "Ober, mag ik de rekening?"
etc...
auroramsx 1 year ago
I'm a female, 22. I have lived in a big city (Nijmegen, Gelderland) but also in small villages in Gelderland, Brabant en Limburg.
muppetlollie1 1 year ago
4. U to a waiter in a restaurant . To be respectful. The waiter will refer to us as U. If the waiter doesn't we'll think the waiter is inpolite.
5.At the office: well that's a different story. It depends on the culture of the compony. To my boss I'd say U instead of je. But to colleages je would be just fine. Clients -> U instead of je. It shows respect.
6. On youtube it's mostly je.
I'm 22 so I don't expect from someone to call me U. When I'm older I think I would.
muppetlollie1 1 year ago
1. Most Dutch people will say dank U but you can also say bedankt. Bedankt is word which can be used in any situation. When you speak to a younger person or to an older person. U shows respect. I will use it when I speak to someone who is older than me.
2. Some teachers want to be called U in stead of je. When I don't know what the teacher prefers, I'll use U.
3. Some kids say U to their parents. It's something which was used more often years a go..when our parents where younger.
muppetlollie1 1 year ago
U or je when a stranger hold the door open, depends on the fact if the person is older our same age our younger then your own. If he is olde you say U en when the same or younger is je.
timmie47 1 year ago
you look very good ;)
19tuureluur86 1 year ago
u is simply with respect.. so your boss, teacher, parents or older people than you, actually english has a translation "Thou" , i know this is old, but basically with us this word didn't disappear. this word is for people in high status, the Queen of England for example still gets addressed with this word.
Sanderos25 1 year ago 3
@Sanderos25 Huh? I thought the Queen was always "Your Majesty."
Prepoceros 1 year ago 5
@Prepoceros
not always... good morning to you:p you saw my other comment? "Your Majesty, what is thou will?"
Sanderos25 1 year ago
@Sanderos25 No, I only saw this comment. (And it would be "Your Majesty, what is *thy* will?" if you want to say it like that. It seems like in the movies they would say "What is Your Majesty's will?", but maybe I'm remembering wrong.) =)
Prepoceros 1 year ago
@Prepoceros
thy will you are right. but are we talking about the English Queen or about U and JE.. translate U correctly to english and the translation should be THOU (or THEE) , or the other way around.. But U comes from a older word with a similar meaning GIJ, in the Southern provinces (Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg) they still use GIJ instead of U, we call this the Soft G dialects because like most foreigners they can't pronounce the G
Sanderos25 1 year ago
@Sanderos25 You brought up the Queen. I was responding to your comment.
Anyway, I disagree that "thou" is a translation of "u" into English. They may have the same roots, but Dutch speakers use "u" quite often, and English speakers almost never use "thou."
Prepoceros 1 year ago
@Prepoceros But it is interesting that they were the same a long time ago. I didn't know that.
Prepoceros 1 year ago
@Prepoceros it would be the translation if the word didn't disappear
Sanderos25 1 year ago
@Prepoceros I think that guy is bullshitting you. I have no idea wtf he's talking about. -____-;;
Quelfish 9 months ago
@Prepoceros, you would not speak to the queen using, thee thou thy etc, unless your a bawdy Shakespearean character or want your head chopped off. You is the formal version and thee dropped out of use because everyone was trying to be more formal than everyone else. We think it's formal because it's old timey and Shakespearean but shakespear's plays were rude and bawdy.
xUberfail 6 months ago
@Sanderos25
Serieus als je er geen verstand van hebt, praat er dan ook niet over -_-
Jij bent eerder buitenlands dan jij... en dan ook nog die belachelijke sprong maken naar de koningin en dan gaan zeggen dat het daar niet omgaat -_-
strateeg32 10 months ago
@Sanderos25 in Belgium they also say 'gij' often, but I'm from Zeeland (the capitol) and we don't say 'gij' or talk with a soft G, maybe in the small villages :)
RedskinTiggr17 9 months ago
@Prepoceros The former Queen Juliana was a simple woman, who wanted to be adressed as 'mevrouw' (mrs.). The current Queen Beatrix changed it back to 'Majesteit' (Your Majesty'). And I'm almost sure that the future King William IV and Queen Máxima will be adressed with 'Your Majesty'.
MartinIrma 1 year ago
Thou means jij; you mean u.
DJKernen 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Thou means jij; you means u.
DJKernen 1 year ago
@Sanderos25 Actually, Thou, thee, thy, etc. are the informal English variations of "you." We kept the formal version, you and your. That's part of the reason they are so frequent in the bible, because it was everyday speech. It was used to address God because people wanted to be "familiar" with Him. I don't know why English lost the informal version and kept the formal...
45AnthraX 8 months ago
we have a sentense for that..is it oke if i call you 'je'?' ''mag ik u toeaeren" than you ask somebody if i you can call them 'je'instead of 'u ' i belive its a frensh word that we own in holland "toeaeren"
mrduister 1 year ago
@mrduister It is Tutoyeren not toeaeren
janner919 1 year ago
Comment removed
mrduister 1 year ago
Hi! I think your video's about the dutch language are so cool, there are no other video's about the dutch accent on youtube like this so I think that's why you get so much comments. Would be cool if you can make another one!
Greets from Holland.
marloes234 1 year ago
1. A stranger holds a door open for you, I'd say u, but if he's (almost) the same age I'd say je..
2. Talking to the teacher during class, It's actually very rude to say je to your teacher...
3. Your parents, I call my parents je, but some people call them u, depends on your parents.
4. A waiter in a restaurant, u I guesse,
5. At the office, My parents say je to their collegues.
6. On YouTube, I'd say je to everyone, because only hip people are on YT.
1996jur 1 year ago
1If the stranger is older much older than me I say u.
2To most teachers I say u.
3My cousins have to say u to their parents but everyone else i know says je.
4The waiter always says u unless he is your friend and I usually say u but thats 5only if they're much older.
6I don't work at an office but I assume that you say u to your clients and boss.
7On youtube I always say je unless I'm talking to the president ore something.
8No :P
And I'm 13 I live in a small city and I'm a guy :D
BreinStijn 1 year ago
i understand your questions, but you mother was dutch right? she could explain to you right? i might be wrong, but it could be a faster ways to get the wanted information...
93indogirl 1 year ago
I always say 'bedankt'; 'thanks'...
Jort007 1 year ago
1. Depends on how old the stranger is, if they're younger or only a few years older than me, I'd say 'je', but if they're much older I would definitely say 'u'.
2. Always 'u'.
3. I say 'u' to my parents, because I'm used to it. I'm allowed to say 'je' though.
4. Probably 'u', but if they're around my age I'm more likely to say 'je'.
5. I don't work, but it would also depend on age.
6. Always 'je'.
I'm 17, female, living in the province South Holland.
itsjustlenneke 1 year ago
1) Depends on age.
2) Teacher at highschool = u. Teacher at university = je.
3) I am actually surprised to see how many people here say that parents are called u. I rarely ever hear a child call a parent 'u'. When I happen to hear it, it sounds very strange and detached to me.
4) Depends, if the waiter acts formal I will use 'u'. If it is more informal I will use 'je'.
5) Daily colleagues are 'je', even if they are higher ranked. 'U' only with directors. And they will call each other 'je'.
Nloveru 1 year ago
And I am 18 years old, a girl and I live in Zoetermeer which is about 15 minutes away from Den Haag.
leoniess15 1 year ago